a pirates life for me
by strawberrykiwi99
Summary: the 1700's: the golden era of piracy. so the story is set. Rosette's problems keep getting bigger, especially once she is thrown into the middle of The Sinners, a group of pirates...


**A/N:** okay first things first...i do not own chrono crusade or any of the characters, things in it, ect. ect. okay, done with that...happy?

so yup! this is my first fanfic. yes, it is inspired from pirates of the caribbean. im pretty sure im in love with the movie and a while ago i was having one of those moments where your head is wandering up somewhere in the clouds when this idea came to me. and, you can thank my best friend sarah for getting me to actually write this...and post it. so thank u sarahhh :o) anyway, hope ya like it!

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"Rosette," a teenage boy whispered. A girl who looked maybe around 16 or 17 looked up from fiddling with something in a small pack on the ground. Her bright blue eyes still shone in the dull moonlight along with her beautiful blonde hair pulled back into a loose bun; strands of her hair fell around her face.

"I have everything Joshua," the girl said with a slight smile. The boy frowned in the darkness his own matching blue eyes reflecting a look of worry.

"Will you stop with that look? I'll be fine. I promise I'll come back." The girl whispered. "I promise." She repeated softly.

"Stay safe okay sis?" Joshua said quietly. "Please don't do anything idiotic or get yourself in trouble."

"Joshua, I promised. I won't do anything stupid and I'll stay safe." Rosette replied standing up. "I'll come back soon." She hugged her brother, fighting tears from letting loose. _'Don't cry. It's not like this is going to be the last time you're going to see him._' She thought. Rosette gave Joshua a weak smile in an attempt to reassure him. "I love you, Joshua. I'll be careful; I'll be back for you as soon as I can. You'll see me soon." Rosette said as she picked her bag up, slinging it over her shoulder. Trying not to look back, she walked quickly down into the dark alleyway. _'Keep walking, don't look back. Keep going and look into your new life.'_

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Rosette sat huddled under the overhanging of a stable. Rain poured over the side and was absorbed into the thick dirt that lay on the street; making the dirt streets into a thick mud. She started coughing so hard she could hardly breathe. Trying to catch her breath, she wrapped her thin, filthy, blanket around her tighter. Rosette scooted back against the large stones that made up the stable in an attempt to get out of the rain as much as possible to maybe stop the shivering. It wasn't much use, the stones weren't going to move no matter how much she pushed against them; her feet would just have to get wet.

Sighing she watched a bunch of men stagger down the street. Noticing that they were getting closer she frowned. The group consisted of a tall, gangly man who seemed to slide down the slippery road, another shorter and stocker man who had a muddy wine bottle clutched between his fat fingers, a man with long, tangley hair who was holding a large bottle of bear in his hands, and lastly a man with a very square jaw and eerie dark eyes. He moved in front of the rest, his eyes hazy because of the alcohol.

"They won't 'et away wit it will 'ey?" the stocky man slurred clumsily tossing the wine bottle in his hands around.

"We'll make 'em pay alrightt" the tallest man seemed to hiss.

"'Ey wont 'ive much 'onger anyhows." The long hair man said.

"Aye, 'ey'll be dead before long." The "leader" agreed with a deep scowl. Rosette couldn't help but shiver. She looked down as they passed her. Suddenly, she started coughing again. Her whole chest felt like it was going to explode as she wheezed, trying to breath again. As she opened her watering eyes she noticed the men had stopped their drunken walk and were looking at her.

'_Uh oh'_

"Whot do we 'ave here?" the stocky man said stopping.

"Itss a litttle wet kitten." The tallest man hissed.

"Oh shit." Rosette whispered in the darkness, trying to think of something to do as the group got closer to her. As they neared Rosette started coughing again, this time because of the horrible odor the four were emitting. There was no hiding it; they stunk.

"Come 'ere kitten. We won't 'urt you." the long haired man beckoned to Rosette. Rosette swore again and stuffed her blanket into her pack as quickly as she possibly could. By then, they were nearly close enough to touch. The fat man tried to grab her arm, but Rosette ducked under his arm. The alcohol had definitely taken their toll on them, their movements were clumsy and slow. Rosette quickly dodged their attempts to keep her still and grab her and sprinted down the street.

The rain drenched her the second she left her makeshift shelter. Her heart beat loudly in her ears as she ran as fast as she could in the thick mud that caked her legs and feet. Her small pack flapped around in the wind as she ran; it was being soaked too. That was just great. Her skirts were beginning to weigh her down; it was getting heavy with rainwater. Could tonight get any better?

Rosette quickly chanced a look behind her to see if she was still being pursued. No one was behind her anymore. Slowing down to a fast walk, she sighed a sigh of relief.

"Thank the good lord." She panted leaning on her knees. Suddenly a hand grabbed her arm, making her scream.

"You're faster than you look huh poppet?" the man with long hair said. He wrapped his large hand around her forearm. Rosette grinded her teeth together as she tried to pull away from is iron grip.

"Get off me you bastard!" she yelled kicking and hitting him was much as she could.

"Guys! 'elp me! She's fightin'!" the man yelled. Rosette jerked her arm up and down trying to get free and tried to dodge getting caught any more at the same time. Before the man could much realize what was happening, Rosette kicked in as hard as she could in the crotch and quickly jerked her arm away from him, finally breaking free. The man doubled over in pain as the rain ran down his body. He yelled in anger and attempted to get up, but only fell back down to his knees again. Rosette by then, was gone; again.

Rosette kept running down various streets and alleyways, sometimes bumping into a few random people. She shoved her way through the people, mud, and rain. Her heart was beating faster now and it seemed to pound in her ears. Her legs were starting to feel numb and she wanted to collapse from all the running. She suddenly heard the familiar sound of the same men's yelling. Rosette slowed down and tried to wipe the filthy mud and rainwater off her face and out of her eyes.

'_Running from them isn't working. Common' I need someway out of here.'_

Taking off running again, she looked around for anything, anywhere to hide; nothing. It was so hard to see in the inky black night. She heard the men's voices yelling and she could see their shadows in faint light coming from different buildings and the moon. Taking off again she took a sharp right turn down another alley, still searching desperately for a place to hide. Gasping for breath and her heart pounding in her ears she frantically looked for a place to conceal herself in. Ah! She couldn't think straight let alone see between her wet bangs in her eyes and the darkness surrounding her; not to mention this damn rain. Dum, dum, dum, dum, dum, dum, dum. She was almost afraid the sound of the beating of her heart would give her away.

'_There has to be somewhere.'_ She thought. Suddenly she slowed down, seeing her chance to get away.

"Where the 'ell did she go?" one man shouted. Rosette squeezed her eyes shut and prayed silently. _'Don't find me, please oh please, don't find me.'_

"Where she go?" another man asked.

"Over here, I think I saw 'er go this way." A last voice said. To think that only a piece of wood was separating Rosette from the crazy drunk men. There were the sounds of footsteps squishing around in the mud past her. Rosette waited a few seconds before opening her eyes; she realized she had been holding her breath. She was standing pressed against the inside of a dimly lit room. Warm rainwater rolled off her clothes and dripped from her hair and skirts. Her boots were soaked and filled with thick mud. Panting she looked around.

She squinted in the odd lighting at the faint shadow of someone sitting down at the table in the far corner. Not daring to say anything, she watched, not moving. Sure enough, the shadow seemed to stand up from the chair it was sitting in. It slowly walked over to Rosette. Rosette's heart nearly skipped a beat again as she realized that she was being approached.

"H-Hello there s-sir." She stammered.

"Well what is this? A soaked girl appearing inside my kitchen." A man's voice said as a man in his 40's appeared out of the shadows.

"I-I'm sorry. Truly, I-I was being chased please…"Rosette stammered.

"You're in a bit of a mess aren't you darlin'?" the man asked cutting the rest of what she was going to say off. Rosette nodded weakly, and nearly collapsed on the ground.

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Rosette sat at the worn old table wrapped in a blanket sitting opposite of the man. She had a cup of hot tea in her hands, which she knew she probably shouldn't be drinking; but, it was hot and was helping calm her down and warm her up at the same time. It was hard to ignore the offer.

"I'm George Lillington." The man introduced himself. "And who might you be?" Rosette sneezed suddenly; George offered her an incredibly filthy handkerchief, which Rosette refused with a slight smile.

"I'm Rosette." She answered quietly.

"So, what is a young woman like you doin' alone at this hour of the night? Shouldn't you be at home?" the George asked. Rosette stared into her cup of tea and looked at her distorted reflection.

"I don't have a home to go back to." She said quietly. She technically didn't have a real home; or at least one she was planning on going back to anytime soon. Even though her head seemed permanently soggy she quickly spun up a lie. She couldn't tell him the real story; she hadn't been hiding in this part of town for the fun of it. To be brought back now; Rosette didn't even want to think about it. The failure and waste were too much to imagine right now; not mentioning the trouble following it.

"I'm new here." Rosette said. "My parents died about a month ago." She stared into her cup of tea with watery eyes.

"I-I'm just trying to find somewhere to live, a-and a job." She said pretending to hold back tears. "My brother and s-sister and I a-all got s-split up. I-I don't know w-where they are." Rosette burst into tears. She wasn't sure if they were real or not at this point; not because the story she was telling was real, just, because…of everything. George listened to her story (or lie) with sympathetic eyes. _'Yes, this may work'_ Rosette thought.

"I-I've been in town for about a w-week, looking for some way to earn some m-money so I can get on my feet and find my b-brother and sister." Rosette continued with a fake depressed and painful expression. "T-These men w-were chasing m-me. I-I'm, terribly sorry f-for barging in o-o-on you, I-I just w-wanted to get a-away." Rosette slowly continued through sobs.

"No, no." George said in an attempt to calm Rosette down. "Calm down darlin', try to breath." He offered his handkerchief again; Rosette inwardly a bit disgusted, took it anyway and wiped her eyes.

"Where have you been living? On the streets?" George asked. Rosette gave a slight nod, sniffing.

"I-I wanted to find a job, and a-after I had enough money, buy some s-supplies and go s-search for my brother and s-sister so we can be reunited. We were s-separated after the horrid p-pirate attack." Rosette said sadly and started to sob softly again.

She referred to the large incident which had left the port town in turmoil only a couple of weeks ago. It wasn't exactly an "attack" that was a false statement made by the authorities to try to cover up their mistakes. A very large group of criminals from the local prison had broken free somehow (details were very sketchy and rumors were all the information you could get), and most of them were condemned pirates. Most of the damage was caused by trying to catch the fugitives. Opposite of what they were told, it was actually the authorities fault for most of the damages and chaos. Actually to tell the truth, no one really knew what had happened. It was the perfect time though, if any, for people to get separated form each other, so Rosette took the opportunity.

"I-I…d-don't know though, it, it was a foolish idea; me finding t-them. I don't know h-how I would ever find them. I just…pray they are still together, if they are alive a-at all." Rosette cried putting her hand on her forehead and leaning on the table. "A-after Mother and Father passed, we were a-all we had for e-each other." Rosette said, she paused and pretended to struggle against further tears being spilt.

"I'm…truly, terribly sorry about your misfortune. You are welcome to stay here for the night; I don't have much, but you can sleep here in the kitchen and have a warm meal or two." George said.

Slowly "calming down" Rosette looked up at George. All that left of her crying was soft hiccupping and a few tears lingering in her eyes.

"I-I couldn't burden you like that…" Rosette started.

"It would be my pleasure. I know what it is like to loose someone important to you." George said his tone changing. Rosette suddenly felt a bit guilty about the lie, but she slowly nodded.

"Mister Lillington, i-if you are sure I wouldn't bother you…" Rosette said.

"Nah, not at all! I wouldn't offer if you would be a big trouble darlin'"

"T-Thank you sincerely. It is…greatly appreciated," Rosette said softly giving him a smile. George smiled in return and leaned back in his chair.

"Thank you," Rosette said again, over doing the thanks on purpose. George smiled again. His expression suddenly changed, like he was thinking about something.

"Hmm, I think I may have a way to help." He said rubbing his chin. Rosette looked up again as she tucked the dirty blanket tighter around her still soaked clothing in an attempt to get warm.

"Listen, my brother in law owns a large restaurant and inn on the other side of town." George explained. Rosette nodded, a sign that she was listening.

"Last time I talked to him he was going on that he didn't have any help around there anymore; with serving customers and all. Would you be interested in being a waitress or just being a helpin' hand around there? It would give you some money to get started again, he'd pay ya enough." George said. Rosette nodded her head, letting a smile spread across her features.

"T-Thank you!" Rosette said hardly knowing what to say to express her thanks. "If it is okay with him, I could definitely do it!"

"He and his wife Beth have five young children, and a fairly large house you know?" George started again, "I'm sure they wouldn't mind someone staying there for awhile; until you are able to rely on yourself and all. I know they have a couple of vacant rooms they wouldn't mind you using." George said. Rosette couldn't help but smile.

"Are you sure I wouldn't be in the way or troubling anyone?" Rosette asked. "I don't want to intrude on anyone or…" Rosette stopped.

"Nah, of course not! I wouldn't have offered if I thought you would be a problem for anyone." George said waving his hand in the air. "They're good people; they would be happy to help ya out for a while"

"Thank you," Rosette breathed. Maybe she was overdoing her pathetic, sweet girl cover a bit; really though truthfully, she was pretty lost and pathetic. She had been an idiot to leave without a plan or anything to rely on; living on the street wasn't the way to get anywhere. This though, was way too good to pass up.

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"Here we are," George declared, stopping. Behind him, Rosette stopped. It was the next morning. The ground was still muddy and everything was still damp from the rainstorm the night before. The sun though, was starting to play its role in drying the port town off a bit.

Rosette stared up at the building in front of her. It was two floors and the windows were mostly broken or cracked. It was in need of a new roof and in all was pretty grungy looking; almost like it was exhausted and would collapse any moment. Then again, what place around her in this part of town didn't look like this? The old looking wood was weathered and well used. A broken sign hung from a piece of wood jutting out on the corner of the building. It was only hanging from a rusty piece of chain on one side, where the other chain should have been was empty. Rosette took a deep breath as George led the way through the two large doors.

"Joe!" George bellowed walking into a dim room with Rosette trailing a few feet behind him. The restaurant was basically a room with a large bar in the back. Rosette could see a few different halls and rooms webbing off too. The floor was dirt and straw and there were used lanterns hanging from various places. The lighting was still a bit dim, even though the sun was out. There were a couple of holes in the roof, which provided some sunlight and served as a skylight.

"Wait here, I'm going to try to find him." George said motioning for Rosette to stay put. She nodded and watched him walk around a corner and disappearing still calling for his brother in law.

Rosette had learned quiet a bit about Mr. Lillington during her stay at his small house. His wife had died a while ago because of some odd illness that no one was quiet sure was. Rosette could feel a familiar feeling coming from the tone in his voice, something that she knew he was feeling often; loneliness. She had sympathy for the man; he was very kind and had a large heart. She couldn't help but feel bad for him, she knew what it was like to feel lonely.

That night, she had slept on a small mat laid in the kitchen, well into the morning actually. After her little "adventure" she was exhausted, hungry, and wet. She needed the rest. She had had a warm meal, which she hadn't had in a while and she wasn't constantly waking up all night expecting to have to run. It was almost…nice. It all made her remember and reflect more on why she had run away. All that did though; was make her frustrated about how slow she was going on reaching her goal and as quickly as possible go back and help Joshua. She admitted to herself that she missed him and was worried about him; it was enough to make her on edge often. Sighing she sat down in the nearest beat up table.

Her own clothes were still wet; it seemed they would never dry. So, she borrowed some of George's wife's old clothing. The dress was simple, but it was still beautiful at the same time. It fit Rosette perfectly; the woman must have been on the small side. She was still feeling awkward about wearing his wife's old dress; she didn't want to accept it. It was…too weird and she felt a bit uncomfortable. George had pushed the offer though, saying she was soaked and she would become ill if she stayed in her old clothing. Reluctantly, Rosette had finally accepted. Rosette sighed again, she almost didn't feel worthy of all the help and kindness she was receiving; at least not after what she had done.

Her thoughts were interrupted as George and another man walked into the room. She stood up and scooted the chair in with her foot.

"You must be Rosette." the man Rosette assumed was Joe said. Nodding, Rosette looked Joe over. He looked a bit younger than George with salt and pepper hair. He had sharp gray eyes that had something in them that Rosette couldn't put her finger on. Whatever it was though, it made her shiver. She instantly didn't like Joe, but she tried to give it at chance…at least for now. What other choice did she have though really?

"Nice to meet you," Rosette mumbled.

"George here was tellin' me you're interested in workin' here." Joe said. Rosette nodded again.

"And a place to stay I hear." Joe continued. Again, a nod from Rosette.

"George was explaining to me your current situation. My wife and I would be very pleased if we could help you. We have an extra room in our house, you are free to stay with us for as long as you would like." Joe said.

_'Trust me, sir, that will not be long,"_ Rosette thought coldly, but smiled. Sure, what Joe was saying was….nice. But, something in his tone and eyes made Rosette already dislike him. Trying to hold back the rude remarks that were bubbling to the surface she said instead, "Thank you, your kindness is greatly appreciated. I just don't want to be a burden."

"Oh no," Joe said with an eerie smile that put another strike on Rosette's list against him. "You won't be any burden; not at all."

"She's a good girl, right Rosette?" George said with a smile. Rosette smiled back, sincerely this time. "She'll be a good waitress for you."

"Yes, I think so too George." Joe said looking over Rosette again. "She's definitely got the looks and charm for the job and after her sad little story," Joe said, "She was automatically hired."

"Thank you," Rosette said with mock sweetness, trying her best bite her tongue. She didn't want to loose her job only seconds after she got it; especially since it was her first chance of getting somewhere.

"Its settled then!" George declared. Joe nodded.

"Well, since that's all worked out," George said. "I'd better be going. I have some errands to run and some appointments I must keep." Rosette felt suddenly a bit sad. She had started to like George.

"Thank you so much Mr. Lillington…." Rosette said. "I will return the dress tomorrow." Rosette said.

"No need darlin'. She wouldn't mind if you had it. I think she'd actually want you to have it." George said referring to his deceased wife. Rosette slowly nodded.

"Thank you for everything." She said again. "I will find some way to repay you." Rosette promised.

"You don't have to; you owe me nothing Rosette." George said putting his hands on her shoulders. Rosette smiled slightly and curtsied clumsily.

"I will always owe you, but for now, all I can say is thank you." Rosette said. George chuckled and sighed with a smile, "Be a good girl." He said walking to the door with a wave. Joe hurried over with him for a moment. They whispered softly to each other for a few minutes before slapping each other on the back and saying their goodbyes.

"Well then! To business," Joe said snapping Rosette back into "reality" as he approached her.

"Yes…" Rosette said uneasily.

"You'll start work tonight…" Joe began as he and Rosette walked to the back, Joe showing Rosette things and pointing things out.

'_This job won't be that bad.'_ She told herself with false cheeriness.

**About two months later**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Her legs felt like lead; they seemed so heavy, she was exhausted. Rosette collapsed behind the wall of the small corridor that separated the restaurant/bar and the kitchen in the back. She worked long hours during the night, and it was hard to get sleep during the day for various reasons. The build up of the no sleep she was getting was beginning to seriously get to her.

Rosette pressed the empty beer mugs against her chest and closed her eyes, trying to block out all the deafening noise. The yelling, swearing, and other sounds of a crowd of crammed people all around her only intensified the headache that was coming on. There was no escaping it; at least not until she got off at 4 o'clock, which was still hours away.

"Rosette! I didn't hire you to sit on your lazy ass!" Joe yelled over the noise as he sped past her. Rosette opened her eyes and scowled as her thoughts and temporary rest was interrupted.

"Go get some more rum from the back pantry!" he commanded her as he disappeared into the large chaos around the corner. Rosette gritted her teeth together and groaned as she stood up. Joe was more like a demon in Rosette's opinion than the picture George had painted for her.

Rosette's current summary of Joe was a complete asshole. His wife and kids weren't much different she could honestly say. They're kids were part of the reason why Rosette got virtually no sleep during the day when she could get some rest. She somehow got pushed into chore of watching them; all five of them. They were all young, ages ranging from 5-10. Her current home was always the threat that kept her working for them. Joe and Beth never said directly 'we will kick you out if you don't do this, or that' to her; the "threat" so to say, though, was always there and even though it wasn't mentioned through words, it always seemed to be said somehow.

_'It's only until I get enough money; I'm almost there.'_ Rosette kept telling herself. Who was she kidding though? She hated putting up with this sort of treatment, but Joshua and the goal she was fighting towards was more important. She didn't blame George for her horrible boss; he was just trying to help her out. Being a waitress here was a help though; even though it was also hell. Maybe she should just be appreciative of what she had and stop acting so spoiled.

"Not much longer now though," Rosette said under her breath, she was lying to herself and she knew it. She followed the back hall and walked into the hot kitchen in the back; it was almost as uncomfortable as the main restaurant. She dashed behind some crates and quietly slid the empty beer mugs onto a counter. She turned around in an attempt to leave unnoticed.

"Rosette!" a voice suddenly shouted, "Be productive and go get orders from the table in the back corner! Before you do though go get some more salted meat and vegetables from the basement pantry! And for heaven's sake stop trying to sneak away and do some work!" a woman with short hair yelled wiping her hands on her apron.

"Ya, ya Beth!" Rosette yelled back pushing her way out of the kitchen. She nearly walked into another waitress on her way out. Rosette snapped at her, yelling at the girl.

"All of you go to hell." Rosette said under her breath. She stepped around the corner, back into the chaos. Going through the main bar was the only way to get to the basement pantry. Rosette frowned as she felt the familiar feeling of being hit by a brick wall of sound, heat, and horrible odor. Her frown deepening, Rosette started through the mess. More yelling than usual drew her attention to the right corner; there was quiet a fight going on to the right that she was going to have to avoid.

Rosette weaved between various drunken people. She quickly stepped over men sprawled on the ground and empty wine and beer bottles. She weaved her way through the entanglement. As she walked on, she nearly tripped over two women. They're dresses where nearly falling off and they were leaning against a man who was wearing a sickening smile. Rosette rolled her eyes mentally; by now she was used to it all, but it was still…disgusting, whether it was life or not. Making her way through the crowd she tried to get to the other side of the large room.

Suddenly someone grabbed Rosette's arm. She whipped around into the face of a grungy man (which wasn't anything new). The man gripped her arm for support and swayed as he took a step closer to her.

"'Ello little lady." He slurred; his breath made Rosette feel like she was about to vomit. "Could you get me another bottle of –" he stopped and suddenly collapsed. Rosette kicked him off her feet where he laid. She almost felt the need to kick him, her mood was only worsening as the night was wearing on.

Finally, she broke through the turmoil and turned down another dark hall. Sighing and brushing some hay that had decided to become attached to her skirts off. She stopped and took a deep breath. The "passage" was dark and musty, and the air felt damp.

_'Crap, I still have to get the damn rum don't I?'_ Rosette thought with a sinking feeling. First the damn vegetables or whatever, then the rum, then serving more tables with some damn drunk people. Rosette sighed and started towards the basement stairs.

The loud sound of shattering glass suddenly caught her attention. She stopped in front of a dark room; the door was shut but Rosette could see faint candle light escaping from under the door. These rooms were usually used for meetings or resolving business privately; well, privately to some degree. There was no privacy in this bar and definitely none in the inn on the second floor.

"That's not gonna work mate and you know that." Rosette heard a voice growl from behind the door. She frowned, _'What was going on?'_

"I 'aint gonna do it. No, no, I 'aint." She heard another voice protest deeply. She frowned, her imagination wondering what was happening behind the door. She knew by now not to get involved or listen to things not concerning her, but she gave into her curiosity. There was something about they're tones that caught her attention. Silently, Rosette leaned against the wall away from the door and crouched down; forgetting her task that Joe and Beth had sent her on. She held her breath and leaned in front of the door, placing her eye right outside the keyhole. It was large enough for her to see in enough to see what was going on.

The scenario quickly came together as Rosette watched. A tall man with silvery white hair that reached almost halfway down his back stood over another man who lay on the ground. He had one worn looking boot that reached almost to his knees pressed against the other mans chest and Rosette could tell he was putting a large amount of weight on it. The man on the ground struggled to breath under the crushing force on his lungs. Rosette saw a stray pistol that she guessed had been his, on the ground about five feet away from his outstretched hand. Rosette guessed that the man on the ground had probably been too slow with drawing his pistol. The man with white hair pressed harder on his victim's chest making the man groan in pain and squirm around in an attempt to get free. Rosette looked more at the man with white hair.

He didn't look old actually; contradicting his white hair he looked like he was in his late twenties maybe. He had a gray cotton shirt on that was probably once white. It had scattered stains on it and streaks of dirt. Over it was a worn vest and a beat up and well worn white coat that reached to his knees. The silver buttons on the coat flickered dully in the low candlelight; making Rosette a bit nervous.

He had a much worn looking gray three corner hat on over his silvery hair. He had patched black pants on with knee high boots which he was pressing into the other mans chest. He looked down on the man with a bored frown. The man on the ground held his chest where the foot was pressed. His face was twisted into an expression of pain as the man with white hair applied more and more force onto his chest.

"I have a feeling you will see things my way." The man with the white hair said softly, but just loud enough for all of them to hear. He quickly pulling a pistol from his belt. He pointed the barrel at the man's head and cocked it with a click that seemed the echo through the room. The man on the ground froze and the color drained from his face.

"W-What do you want me to do," he stammered weakly after a few moments.

"I though you'd see things my way in the end." The man with white hair said as he pulled the pistol away from its target, tossing the pistol around in his hands. He still didn't stop stepping on the man's chest though. Suddenly, a loud shot was heard, making Rosette jump. She squinted through the keyhole to see what had happened.

The man on the ground started the shake as he saw the bullet hole in the dirt next to his head, only inches away. The room was silent and tension hung thick in the air. Rosette herself realized she was holding her breath.

The man in white grabbed the other man's shirt and pulled him up so they were face to face. He got so close to the other mans face that Rosette could tell they were nothing more than a hands width apart.

"Smith, don't ever, ever, refuse what I tell you again." The man in white said softly. "Ever." The other man nodded vigorously grabbing the man's hand on his shirt.

"I-I w-w-wont, e-ever a-again! I-I swear i-it." The man stammered his voice full of terror.

"Good then, I thought not." The man with white hair said throwing the man back onto the ground.

"W-we're terribly sorry." Another man stammered coming to the aid of the traumatized man. It almost seemed like he had just appeared out of the shadows; Rosette didn't even see him in the corner quietly shaking.

"C-Captain Aion, w-we'll be of whatever a-a-assistance we can." The man said stumbling over words. The man in white looked at the two men with a unreadable look as he tucked his pistol away again.

"That's more like it." He said softly with dark eyes that seemed to slice through the room. Rosette shifted behind the door into a more comfortable position. She looked through once more, as she saw things at a different angel, she noticed movement in the dark shadows of the far side of the room. She strained to see who it was; someone else was definitely there too. It looked like the figure of a man leaning against the farthest corner with his arms folded. Rosette's attention was drawn away from the mysterious person as Aion started talking to the other two men. He was murmuring things to them in a serious tone that stressed importance. The other two men were nodded quickly to what he was saying; both were sweating and breathing heavily in fear.

Rosette listened carefully to what they were saying. None of it made sense to her, but she listened intently anyway. She frowned; whatever they were saying didn't sound good.

_'What are they planning on doing?'_ she thought.

Aion started fishing for something in his coat pocket. After a moment, he drew out a small item wrapped in dirty rags. He held it up in the air for the other two men to see. Both of their eyes widened immediately.

"Take care of it will you? Try not to loose it." Aion he said in a low voice. Both men nodded their heads again, almost in unison.

"Loose it and you will regret it," he said simply yet with a look that could kill. Both men glanced at each other nervously and nodded again. Aion finally handed them the small package.

As Aion withdrew his hand, something caught Rosette's attention. His coat sleeve had moved up a bit, revealing section of a mark of some sort. It looked like a tattoo, or some odd scar or something. Suddenly, Rosette gasped and leaned up against the wall next to the door.

"Oh my god…" she whispered to herself. She looked through the keyhole again, but Aion's sleeve was back where it had been before.

_'Its dark and I'm tired, that's all there is too it.'_ Rosette though to herself as she leaned against the rough wall with her eyes closed.

_'What the hell do I do now though? Do I tell someone and make a fuss about it? But what if I'm wrong? I know what I saw though…at least I think,'_ Rosette debated with herself. She sat with her eyes closed mentally arguing with herself and trying to get her thoughts in order. All of the sudden something hit her foot.

"What the hell are-" Rosette said opening her eyes and looking up. She stopped as standing over her was Aion and the two other men he had been threatening. Aion had his arms crossed as he stared down at her.

"Well, it seems we have a mouse" he said. Rosette immediately stood up.

"I-I'm just passing by, h-honestly." She said giving Aion a weak smile. He raised his eyebrows, giving her a sarcastic look. "I, uh, I….I tripped! Yeah, I was just getting up!" Rosette said quickly.

"Really? Is that so?" Aion said.

"Uh, y-yes it is!" Rosette said, "Yeah, you see I tripped on my way to the basement pantry to get some food for the kitchen! I hit my head on the wall and was just trying to catch my breath. You know, it really hurt! My damn boss, he's just horrid, he overworks me and yells at me and he is to blame here! He has be doing so many different tasks it's just to much for me to handle on my own and I just cant keep up! I mean, I'm sure your thinking, well what a wimp, but it's true! I'm so exhausted right now, I can't even get a full five hours a sleep a night and-"

"You're rambling." Aion observed cutting her off.

_'Oh crap, I am aren't i? Stupid Rosette! What the hell is wrong with you? You are totally giving yourself away!'_ Rosette thought beating herself up.

"I heard nothing about your plans or about the package!" Rosette blurted out. As soon as the words had left her mouth she wanted to hit herself.

"Package?" Aion said with an amused look on his face. "How would a girl such as yourself who merely tripped just happening to fall right outside the door and heard nothing of my conversation or saw anything know about a package that was being exchanged? Hm?"

"L-Lucky g-guess?" Rosette said as her heart began to race.

"Now I can't let you go out and tell anyone what you saw or heard now can I?" Aion asked Rosette taking a step closer to her. Rosette bit her lip. _'Oh crap,'_

'You two! Go ready our exit, NOW." Aion ordered not taking his eyes off Rosette but pointing at the other two men. Both quickly ran down the hall in an instant.

In a split second before Rosette had realized what had happened Aion grabbed her arms and pulled her towards him. He held tightly onto both her hands with one hand and in the other he had his pistol. Rosette quickly moved one of her hands out of his grasp and pulled up the sleeve to his coat on his right arm. A few inches below his hand on his forearm was a scar in the shape of a P.

"Filthy pirate that's all you are," she said quietly as her earlier thoughts were confirmed.

"At your service," Aion said to her as he grasped her hands tighter. "You're coming with me, love." Rosette gave him a stubborn look. She tried to pull her arms away with little success. In response to her struggling Aion cocked his pistol and aimed it at her head, making Rosette freeze. A sudden dramatic increase of noise around the corner in the restaurant drew Rosette's attention away.

"Well, that would be our cue." Aion said. He raised his pistol, and using the back of it, hit Rosette over the head. Pain exploded in the back of her head and quickly spread as she fell unconscious into Aion's arms. He quickly picked her up and put her over his shoulder.

Another man walked out of the room Aion had been talking to the other people in.

They didn't say anything but Aion nodded slightly and both walked down the hall into the light of the restaurant. Drunk men were running across the room at each other, people were being thrown all over the place, and there were the sounds of yelling, guns firing, and swords exchanging blows. Before the bar had been chaos, now, the noise was like a roar, and no one could hear anything. The air was stuffy and everything was tense and overwhelmed; the whole place was in one big confused fight. Aion smiled, "Those two idiots actually did something correctly this time." They both weaved their way the short distance they had to go to the door. Stepping out into the darkness they walked briskly down the street.

"So what are you going to do with her?" the other man at Aion's side asked. Aion smiled.

"I think we'll keep her for a while and see what happens. I have taken a liking to her." He replied as they both disappeared into the clear, cool, night.

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**A/N (again):** wow...aion the pirate. no matter what this image still cracks me up a little haha. if u sorta think about it tho he WOULD make a good pirate...no? oh yeah, PLEASE R&R PLEASE PLEASE! sorry if its annoying but i wanna know what you all think (good and bad)...seriously. thanks a ton and chapter two will hopefully be on the way soon!


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